Degree of calcification and cyst activity in hepatic cystic echinococcosis in humans.

To evaluate the relationship between cyst activity and calcification degree in cystic echinococcosis (CE) in humans, 99 hepatic cysts at successive stages of involution, surgically excised from 72 Sardinian patients, have been analyzed. Cysts were classified into 4 groups according to calcification extent: CALC 0 (no calcification); CALC 1 (scattered punctate calcifications); CALC 2 (large coarse segmental/partial calcifications); CALC 3 (complete or nearly complete circumferential ring of calcification up to thick wall of osseous consistency/calcified content of cyst). In addition the possible correlation with antibody response has been explored analyzing IgG1, IgG4 and IgE produced against somatic PSCAg.

A study of morphological aspects of cystic echinococcosis in sheep in Sardinia.

We have investigated the morphological and structural aspects of hydatid cysts recovered from sheep raised in southern Sardinia during two surveys conducted over the 20 years since the last control attempt at the end of the 1980s. In the first study carried out during 1995-1997, a few years after the last control attempt, a total of 10,334 cysts were examined, recovered from 1029 infected sheep out of a total of 1375 inspected (prevalence 74.84%).

Cystic echinococcosis in sheep in Sardinia. Changing pattern and present status.

The epidemiological status of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in sheep in Sardinia over the 20 years since the last control attempt at the end of the 1980s has been assessed, comparing the results of two surveys carried out in abattoirs in southern Sardinia. In the first, conducted in 1995-1997 (5-7 years after the last control effort), CE prevalence of about 75% was observed in the 1375 sheep sampled, with intensity of 10.0 and mean abundance of 7.

A retrospective analysis of human cystic echinococcosis in Sardinia (Italy), an endemic Mediterranean region, from 2001 to 2005.

To assess the current impact of human CE in Sardinia (Italy) and to monitor the changes over time, a survey has been carried out for the period 2001-2005 using hospital inpatient discharge reports (HDR) as information source, supplementing data wherever possible with additional information retrieved directly from medical records. The total of 726 admissions with "Echinococcosis" as primary diagnosis (annual rate of 8.9 per 100,000 inhabitants) concerned 540 CE cases with an annual mean incidence rate of 6.

Morphological study of anomalous "laminated" brood capsules in cystic echinococcosis in humans and sheep.

"Anomalous", as yet unreported forms of brood capsules (BC) in cystic echinococcosis larvae from humans and sheep are described, thought to be the likely effect of degenerative involution of the parasite. Morphological examination showed an inner laminated layer (LL) in the brood capsules in intimate contact with the internal wall surface, suggesting the term "laminated brood capsules" (LBC). Analysis conducted on LBC from cysts of different typology invariably revealed them to contain just dead and highly degenerated protoscoleces (PSC).